Is It Time For a Website Tweak?

Is your website working? Is it attracting lots of visitors, lots of “buzz,” and lots of business?

If you are like most interior design professionals, you probably invested a hefty sum for your site. Are you getting a good return on that investment? Is it getting you the kind of projects and clients that you want and need?

If not, it’s time for a tweak.

If you think more images on your site will automatically attract more business, think again.

In these competitive times, most design professionals have pretty pictures on their sites. Interesting interior images seemingly pop up anytime, anywhere. Stop by Houzz, and you can select from more than 4 million images.

As important, if not more so, than the pictures on your site is the prose.

That’s not to say you need more content, in an era when the average visitor spends less than 5 seconds per website. What you need is more compelling content, that concisely and convincingly tells visitors who you are, what you do and why you’re special.

Share that critical information on your home page, since that’s the only page that half of your visitors will ever check out.

First and foremost, you’re selling yourself on that home page. Make sure that it includes a two- to three-line introduction to you, along with your image and a link to your full bio page.

Tweak your home page so it briefly explains who and how you help with your design, remodeling, and/or other services. Speak to your specialness by including your unique selling proposition or “only” brand, as in, “We’re the area’s only interior design firm that also creates outdoor kitchens.”

As you consider whether to tweak your website, consider this: Do your prospects “get” all that you have? Do they understand all that your design firm does, and can do? If not, like so many other firms, you may be leaving money on the table.

The easy remedy: tweak your website “services” page so it includes a complete list of each and every one of the design services and products that you offer.

Your website images will have far more impact if they include meaningful captions. Tweak your portfolio page so it includes brief information about each photo. For example, “Here’s the remodeled kitchen, after we installed new countertops and cabinets.”

Other tweaks that will add “Wow!” to your website: Revise your bio so it includes all of your capabilities, skills and experience, and positions you as a uniquely qualified leader in your field.

Refocus your blog so that it zeroes in on the biggest interior design challenges and pains facing your clients — and positions you as the “caregiver.”

Finally, add an interactive section that enables visitors to ask common questions, and lets you respond.

As you update and upgrade your website, take whatever steps are necessary to make it mobile-friendly. Why?

Because 80 percent of consumers now search the web via smartphone, according to Skava, a digital marketing solutions company, and another 47 percent search via tablet. Then, too, the company reports, if your site isn’t optimized for mobile viewing, 33 percent of consumers will go to a competitor’s website and 30 percent will never return to your site.

Be advised that all of this “tweaking” will take time. But it will be time well-spent, considering that your website is, and always will be, your most important online address.

About the AuthorFred Berns speaks to, coaches and writes promotional copy for interior design professionals worldwide. For information about his services and products, visit InteriorDesignBusiness.net or contact him at Fred@FredBerns.com.